The 5 Best Grill Tongs of 2019 (With Pictures)

Grill tongs are one of my required grilling tools. They’re long enough to reach across the hot grill without burning your hands and arms. They’re nimble enough to pick up small or large pieces of meat or vegetables, allowing you to turn them with ease. They won’t pierce the food as they grasp it, and in general they just make your life so much easier out there at the grill. I sometimes think of my grill tongs and my spatula as extensions of my arm, allowing me to become a true barbecue master.

There are so many grill tongs out there. Many brands are too heavy, their spring loaded action wound too tightly and hurt your hands. So many are too light, not able to do serious grill work. So we chose the top five brands on Amazon and put them to the test. We rated each brand based on a series of categories: Handle Length, Durability, Design, and Cleanup. Then we came up with an Overall Score, incorporating these ratings and other unique factors.

Take a look at the table below to get an overview of what we thought of each brand. If you're interested, you can then read a more in-depth analysis of each brand, or buy it using our Amazon link.

Overall Grill Tongs Review Scores

Brand

Handle Length

Durability

Design

Cleanup

Overall Score

Cave

5

5

5

5

5

Brinkmann

4

4

4

4

4

Char-Broil

5

5

4

5

4.5

Weber

5

5

4

4

4.5

OXO

3

5

5

5

4.5

Cave Tools Grill Tongs

As soon as you have these locking tongs in your hand you can tell they’re no ordinary tools. They’re heavy, sturdy, but well balanced. The spring design takes a bit of getting used to, but just remember to move your hand up and down the handle. The nearer to the heads your grip is, the easier the tongs with close, and vice versa. This makes changing the pressure on the food simple, stops you dropping things but also stops you from squashing softer items. This makes these ideal if you’re grilling vegetables.

If you add in the access to the online recipes, and more importantly, the lifetime money-back guarantee, these are something special. These things will last you a lifetime, and make you at least look like a professional chef.

This Product Is Ranked as the #1 Pitmaster’s Choice In The Grill Tongs Set Category

Brinkmann Grilling Tongs

I found these BBQ tongs quite light in the hand, but they aren’t at all flimsy, at least not under normal pressure. The wooden handles are ok, but aren’t the biggest I’ve seen, leaving a lot of hot metal exposed. I find it quite easy to squash softer foods with these, as the teeth don’t grip a great detail. They’re fine for harder meats, and work as they should. I have noticed a problem with quality control on this item. People I’ve spoken to have reported the handles being loose from the factory, or the hinge pin falling out soon after purchase, and some have said the metal finish isn’t the best.

​

My overwhelming impression of these barbeque tongs comes down to two letters; OK. The design is ok, the construction is ok, same as the price and durability and actual use, all ok. If you’re looking for grill tongs with a lighter spring, or maybe just want to turn a few hotdogs, then maybe you’ll like these. But if you want locking tongs which are better than ok, you should check out

Char-Broil Barbecue Locking Tongs

BBQ tongs are an almost essential item in a griller’s armory. These comfort grip tongs from Char-Broil are about 16” long, made from stainless steel, and have red plastic inserts that provide the actual comfort. This model also has a locking mechanism to hold the tongs together for easier storage. I’m sure you’re familiar with the design, but pulling the hanging loop locks the two arms in place, and pushing it in releases the two arms of the BBQ tongs for use. The heads of these tongs are quite large, and mostly flattened, like shallow spoons or small spatulas, in effect.

At least they’re fully dishwasher safe, so getting them clean is easy enough, and they do seem durable, apart from the spring issue. They’re a decent set of stainless steel tongs, but I would recommend them more if they had teeth or grooves, or some kind of grip on the heads.

Original Weber Tongs

These Weber tongs are made from stainless steel, are about 17” long and have soft grip silicone rubber handles in black. There’s a good sized hanging loop, which also serves to activate the locking mechanism used to keep the tongs closed for storage. The soft touch handles are attached separately to the arms, with each being a single piece of steel. The heads of the Weber barbecue tongs are the spoon shaped variety, with the inward pointing scalloped edges.

There is also some discussion about whether these are dishwasher safe or not. Even the Weber website doesn’t say they are, although others do. I know some people who have put these barbeque tongs in the dishwasher and they’ve been fine. Maybe we need a clarification from Weber.

OXO Locking Tongs

The OXO version of locking tongs are made from brushed stainless steel, are about 13” long including the loop, and have non-slip rubber handles. The locking mechanism allows the tongs to be locked for storage, and is as easy as simply pulling on the hanging ring to lock, and pushing to unlock. The heads are of the scalloped type, slightly flatter than spoon shaped. This particular model of grill tongs has plain steel grips, not nylon or rubber like some designs.

As locking BBQ tongs go, these have good grip, and are sturdy and well made. I would only really recommend them for small grills or kitchen use, as they are a little short for a flaming BBQ grill.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Grill Tongs Dishwasher Safe?

Yes, most grill tongs are designed to be dishwasher safe. Check with the individual manufacturer to be sure before placing the tongs in the dishwasher. If your tongs are not dishwasher safe, you can easily clean them using warm, soapy water.

Do Grill Tongs Stay Close When Not in Use?

Most grill tongs have a clasp at the back which close locks them for storage. They will spring into action when the clasp is released, allowing the them to easily open and close.

Why Are Grill Tongs so Long?

Grill tongs are longer than traditional kitchen tongs. This allows you to reach across the long space on the grill without burning your hands or arms. Their spring loaded mechanism makes them easy to use at such long lengths.

Why Do Some Grill Tongs have Wide Pinchers?

Wide pinchers help to lift large cuts of meat and other heavier vegetables. While wide pinchers are not a requirement for grill tongs, they are certainly an added benefit when working with these heavy grilled foods.

Are Silicone Tongs Safe for Using on the Grill?

Silicone has a high heat resistance, able to withstand temperatures up to 600 degrees F. Nylon, on the other hand, will melt around 400 degrees F which makes this material not well suited for the grill. Be sure to read the manufacturer's description to make sure you are buying actual silicone tipped tongs.

The Pitmaster's Choice is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

Enter The Pitmasters VIP List!

Each VIP Member will have exclusivity to our newest product reviews, promotional programs, recipe books and many more...its 100% FREE!